The land-use planning powers of local governments provide the necessary tools for them to plan for sustainability. Official community plans offer a significant opportunity to further the goals of sustainability through content regarding: 1) the location, amount, type, and density of development; 2) affordable housing; 3) reducing greenhouse gas emissions; 4) the maintenance and enhancement of […]

As part of the Sharing Economy and through the use of Trade/Barter/Exchange, a company, individual, or institution can increase its output, reduce its unused capacity, and generally make it more productive in a sustainable manner. Sponsor:

Most of us have heard of SMART Growth – denser and mixed, but density is not always welcome, and often connotes high-rises or other forms of development that can negatively impact some contexts – NOT SMART to those impacted. So, local context is critical, as are many other system components that make for SMARTer Growth […]

The extreme weather events of 2017 affected Okanagan residents, businesses, agencies, and local governments. On May 4th, a cool spring quickly changed to rapidly rising storm waters and flooding, which continued until late June with record setting precipitation and runoff issues. Before floodwaters receded, fire season started with a vengeance. Many Okanagan residents were thrust […]

Watershed governance is emerging as a priority across B.C. and beyond, as we face an increasingly uncertain world and the mounting priority of water sustainability. This approach emphasizes the transformative role of local decisions and community engagement, in helping sustain healthy functioning watersheds and drive social and institutional resilience. This presentation will identify nine winning […]

The sharing economy is omnipresent. It is both a business buzzword and exciting sustainability concept. How does sustainable transport relate to ‘sharing’? What is ‘shared mobility’? And, does sharing matter if we can just ‘engineer’ our way out of sustainability challenges? Sponsor:

This presentation will feature the potential of cycling and walking as environmentally healthy forms of mass transportation in B.C., by highlighting successes in B.C communities. Policy, financial issues, and barriers to the rapid implementation of active transportation networks will be discussed. Additionally, measures that the Provincial and Federal Governments can undertake individually, or as part of […]

Mayor Richard Walton will share his personal experience of Leading Leaders to the beginning of climate change action, and beyond. When impending or past disasters don’t motivate, it’s time to get to the heart of the matter; inspiring instead of alarming can be an effective tool to move key actors towards change. Climate Change is […]

Tony has been farming for many years, but nothing compares to the challenges faced this past growing season with the flooding in Armstrong, BC. Tony will be sharing his story of farming in a time of unpredictable weather, the potential impacts on the food that is available to us, and his historical perception on how farming […]

Our inside world creates our outside world. This is also true in the context of addressing the ecological and social challenges of our times. Transition to a sustainable future requires a shift in our culture, values, objectives, and narrative to one that is supportive of our well-being and that of our planet. In this presentation, […]

Governance in industrial societies has been conventionally left up to elected officials and their staff of regulators, augmented in many sectors by what we call the “private sector”. This usually means commercial players (in particular large ones) with a material interest in the outcome of decision-making. In the late 20th and 21st centuries, a new […]

The experience of other rail trail organizations across North America has been very helpful in the planning and development of the Okanagan Rail Trail. Communities along the trail are well on their way to raising $7.8 million to fund construction of this 48.5 km trail. Donors from far and wide contributed nearly $5 million in […]

If co-housing is such a great idea and will solve so many social problems (affordability, isolation, sense of community, aging in place), why haven’t we heard of it? Why hasn’t it been done in Kelowna yet? This presentation will focus on what co-housing is (and isn’t), what co-housing’s critical success factors are, and where co-housing has […]

Legitimacy is about the justifiability or acceptance of governance initiatives, decisions, and actions. For collaborative initiatives focused on social and environmental sustainability issues, legitimacy is especially necessary for a collaboration to be stable, ordered, and effective. If collaborative initiatives are delegitimized, then resources may be wasted as collaborative processes risk inefficiency or dissolution hindering sustainability […]

The Village of Cumberland was recognized as Canada’s first BUY SOCIAL municipality in 2015. Buy Social Canada is an internationally recognized third-party program, which certifies organizations and municipal partners who are proactively working to ensure that procurement works to add, rather than diminish, social value in society. The Village of Cumberland received the BUY SOCIAL […]

The Black Cottonwood Ecosystem is among the rarest of plant communities in the Southern Interior of B.C., providing crucial habitat for a range of plant and animal species. For thousands of years, Syilx Okanagan peoples made efficient use of the whole cottonwood tree. The significance of the cottonwood (mulx) continues to be taught today. Our […]

In 2018, Wilden, Kelowna’s largest master-planned community, will approach the mark of 1000 homes built, roughly 40 percent of full build-out. Currently, the developers are preparing for the largest step in Wilden’s history: the creation of a town centre. The Wilden Village and Market Square will provide amenities within walking and biking distance for residents. […]

With unprecedented population growth, a growing social awareness, and global warming, predicting environmental impacts of development projects needs to take more into consideration than the impact assessments of 40 years ago. Are we doing a good job of environmental impact assessments (EIA)? Are these assessments being written such that those affected can read and understand? […]

A coalition of community investment funds in B.C., are pursuing a strategy to unleash the $4.5 billion plus in annual private investment for communities to create social, economic, and environmental benefits, while also paying a private return to investors. The Vancouver Island Community Investment Co-op is one of these models of community impact investing, adapted […]

The Roundtable is a collaborative body that coordinates and implements activities, which promote the long-term sustainability of the watershed. The Lower Coquitlam River Watershed Plan was created following a multi-year, bottom-up community planning process involving diverse sectors of interest in the watershed, including those with legislative authority. As new development advances into Greenfield areas of […]

The Smart Growth Task Force is comprised of more than a dozen thought leaders working within local and regional government, TransLink, civil society, consulting, and the development industry. The Task Force sees immense potential in British Columbia, to develop leading practices and legislation in the highly linked areas of land-use planning, transportation, infrastructure, and housing. […]

B.C. has hundreds of coastal communities. Climate change and rising sea levels pose challenges for these communities, with increasing flood risks and coastal erosion, but also offer opportunities to strengthen connections to coastal ecosystems and improve resilience. From a local government perspective, jurisdiction below the high water mark is limited, but through collaboration (working with […]

The second year for Foodie Fridays, a weekly outdoor lunch food market in Prince George, was in 2017. This unique program was developed by the City as a way to increase traffic and activate the downtown core, while responding to the evolving business desires of local entrepreneurs. Foodie Fridays is unique in that it allows […]

The way in which our built environments are designed and constructed, has profound effects on many different aspects of our health and well-being. Planning decisions influence neighbourhood design, the quantity and quality of parks and green spaces, the location of schools and services, and other factors like air and water quality. Those characteristics help to […]

B.C.’s mining industry is frequently thrown into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: mega-disasters, ongoing pollution, and mine proposals that won’t die. The Fair Mining Collaborative has developed a suite of tools, freely available to communities that are considering mining proposals, or dealing with the ongoing effects of mining in their area. This presentation […]

Over the last six years, West Kelowna’s wine industry has grown substantially, from eight wineries to 13 (and a number in the planning stages), to become one of the Central Okanagan’s most sought after destinations for wine! Much of the success of West Kelowna’s wine industry growth and desirability, can be attributed to the City’s efforts […]

Cities and towns are increasingly facing massive challenges such as affordability, climate change, transportation, and homelessness, and they need community involvement to effectively address them. Youth are the greatest untapped resource in solving our communities’ greatest challenges. CityHive acts as a bridge-builder between municipalities and youth to create win-win-win solutions for youth, municipalities, and the broader […]

The benefits of outdoor education are well documented and increasingly in demand in our community. Yet there are still challenges to overcome to accommodate the children who would thrive in the nature classroom setting. At the same time, more support is needed for local food production. As it turns out, reconnecting these two worlds results […]

The City of Kelowna is piloting a new target-based approach to urban centre planning. Over the last several years, the City has developed several policy and research tools such as the Urban Centres Roadmap, and the Vacant Lands Inventory, to serve as the foundation for future urban centre planning work. This presentation will review Kelowna’s overall […]

All over B.C., local governments and organizations struggle to finance sustainability and quality of life in our communities. Nature benefits our communities by providing essential services to us for free – every single day. A healthy, functioning environment is the underpinning of our clean water, pure air, farming, tourism, recreation, and robust property values. While […]